Help files missing

Did you install KiCad in the default location or did you install it somewhere else? If you used an alternate location:

1) Open KiCad
2) Open the "Path Configuration" dialog from the "Preferences Menu"
3) Add a new entry named KICAD with the Path set to the path where kicad is installed.
4) Close the "Path Configuration" dialog.

Your help documents should now be found correctly.

Thanks Wayne
KiCad is in the default Windows location (C:\Programfiles\Kicad).
The help files are there in pdf format in C:\Programfiles\Kicad\share\doc\kicad\help\en\ but the menu item in the programs does not access them.
There is no sign of any html versions that I can see.
I re-installed it just now using r5814.a8bffb8 from the download list at Index of /~nickoe This is the next to last windows version listed on that site.

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| Index of /~nickoeName Last modified Size Description Parent Directory   -   README 2015-06-26 21:02 810 Do not click me! debug/ 2015-06-22 19:07 -   kicad-downloads-mirror/ 20... |
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Since the new version has many enhancements over the original, I would like to use it, but currently I cannot see how to add my existing component library to the new one. Hopefully this is covered in  the manuals.
Previously existing files were just added in the preferences of the project. How to do this in the new version is not obvious.
Any further help would be appreciated.
Regards
Andrew

      From: Wayne Stambaugh <email address hidden>
 To: <email address hidden>
 Sent: Saturday, 27 June 2015, 1:02
 Subject: Re: [Question #268495]: Help files missing

Your question #268495 on KiCad changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/kicad/+question/268495

    Status: Open => Answered

Wayne Stambaugh proposed the following answer:
Did you install KiCad in the default location or did you install it
somewhere else?  If you used an alternate location:

1) Open KiCad
2) Open the "Path Configuration" dialog from the "Preferences Menu"
3) Add a new entry named KICAD with the Path set to the path where kicad is installed.
4) Close the "Path Configuration" dialog.

Your help documents should now be found correctly.

--
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know that it is solved:
https://answers.launchpad.net/kicad/+question/268495/+confirm?answer_id=0

If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
following page to enter your feedback:
https://answers.launchpad.net/kicad/+question/268495

You received this question notification because you asked the question.

Hi Just to add to this.

I have since re-installed the whole package.

It is installed in C:\programfiles\KiCad\ and subsequent folders which seems to be the default location.

I still cannot access help or tutorial files from menu bar. They are all present and can be accessed outside of the program as pdf files.

I am not sure where the menu item looks for the files, but I have tried moving them around within the various folders and still cannot access them from the program menu.

Can you advise where the help files should be in the program folder under C:\programfiles\KiCad\........?

It seems that my existing libraries do not load either. I have added a previous component library but most of it gets ignored. Is there a simple way to transfer libraries made under BSR-4022 July 2013 to the newer versions?

I have also tried to build using Winbuilder but that failed to run as some .dll files were missing, and I gave up on that after the second attempt also failed.

For now I have gone back to the last old stable version as I need to make some boards, but intend to pursue the new version when time allows.

Whilst I am fairly adept at moving files around under windows, I have very little experience of scripting files an what they do, so please keep it simple - like me!

Any help would be appreciated.

You can read the latest versions of the docs at http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/. This is ofc a workaround, because I have not made the windows installer fetch and install those yet.

This explains why the help files are not found.

I have the same problem after installing Kicad 4.0.0-rc.
It is not clear if the Kicad application is looking for .pdf or .html help files?
I have added the KICAD entry to the Path Configuration menu with the path= C:\Program Files\KiCad\share\doc\kicad\help\en

After adding the entry, clicking Help then Getting Started in Kicad, gives error "Html or pdf help file 'getting_started_in_kicad' could not be found". I noticed the ../pl folder had both .pdf and .html files named getting_started_in_kicad. So I changed the KICAD entry to match (C:\Program Files\KiCad\share\doc\kicad\help\pl) and still received the same error.

I don't have a problem copying the pdf file from http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/en/ to the proper folder but it looks something else is broken if it does not open the pdf file in the pl folder.

Also seem to recall having the same problem with KiCad_stable-2013.07.07-BZR4022_Win_full_version.... never got it resolved.

It has already been fixed. Please read https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1313412. It will make it into rc2 when it's released. Try using a nightly build.

I'm sorry I don't know where to find the nightly build download. I don't have the resources to compile the source code. Is there an install kit?

http://kicad-pcb.org/download/

On 11/3/2015 3:12 PM, Tim wrote:
> Question #268495 on KiCad changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/kicad/+question/268495
>
> Tim posted a new comment:
> I'm sorry I don't know where to find the nightly build download. I
> don't have the resources to compile the source code. Is there an install
> kit?
>

Download and installed the latest and still same problem.
 kicad-product-r6266.c5f9896-i686.exe 13-Oct-2015 07:51 137821217

That one is too old, try the _latest_. Currently http://downloads.kicad-pcb.org/windows/kicad-product-r6292.85c3ae3-i686.exe 02-Nov-2015 17:09 257639785

Just and FYI, with that build, if I click on the Help, then User Manual, it pulls up the html version in my browser. I expected it to pull up the PDF.

Hi Tim (et al)

I too get the html version of help with the rc2 version and would rather like to have the pdf version, it is much more readable.

Is it possible to chose which help files to view?

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.